VicHealth says retail licensing scheme is needed as children as young as 10 become addicted
VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria and Quit Victoria are calling for the state government to introduce a retail licensing scheme to allow for greater enforcement of e-cigarette laws.VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria and Quit Victoria are calling for the state government to introduce a retail licensing scheme to allow for greater enforcement of e-cigarette laws.
VicHealth’s chief executive, Dr Sandro Demaio, said there had been an “explosion” of young people using e-cigarettes in the state, despite it being illegal to sell or supply the devices to under-18s – regardless of whether they contain nicotine. “It’s an enormous issue,” Demaio said. “I travel across Victoria in this role and just this week I was in the far north of the state, hearing from parents, community leaders and young people themselves, who were saying more people in their school vape than don’t. I was hearing from kids as young as 10, 11, 12 who are addicted.
“We know these products are highly addictive and contain dozens of chemicals that do not belong in the lungs, including formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer and damage the brain. Even those that claim not to contain nicotine in fact do. But there’s just a total lack of leadership and regulation.”